Gun control

Tim Hergenrader, New Bern

Wednesday

Jan 2, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 2, 2013 at 1:30 PM

In response to the gentleman from Havelock, I too am a gun owner and possess a concealed carry permit. I also do not agree with the NRA’s position on assault weapons, large capacity magazines and their opposition to sensible management of firearms such as closing the loopholes in federal legislation on background checks.

In response to the gentleman from Havelock, I too am a gun owner and possess a concealed carry permit. I also do not agree with the NRA’s position on assault weapons, large capacity magazines and their opposition to sensible management of firearms such as closing the loopholes in federal legislation on background checks.

The NRA and its members have long given the response to any debate “guns don’t kill people, people kill people’” but now the NRA has publicly stated that video games and violent movies contribute to the slaughter of innocents. So we can conclude from their arguments that guns don’t kill people, video games do!

Another of their arguments I have trouble with, is the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Following that logic to its conclusion, the only way we will be truly safe is when every able bodied man and woman possess and carry a loaded firearm. The fallacy to that of course is not only will the good guys all have guns, so will all the bad guys.

Now we have the spectre of the NRA position that people advocating sensible gun management are using the slaughter of school children as a political tool to achieve their objectives. I find that disgusting. As if the NRA’s positioning on the issue is not political? Of course it is. This issue will or will not be settled in the political arena so by definition it is all political.

I do not operate under any delusion that by abolishing assault weapons will we solve the issue. But, we must start somewhere and begin getting a handle on the proliferation of deadly weapons and crazed citizens in possession of more personal firepower than most soldiers have. Consider this: there are more retail gun outlets in our country than grocery stores!

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